There’s a new WTF? trailer in town
And it’s for a movie, called Tiptoes, with a cast of critical darlings and big Hollywood paychecks. So why did it go straight to video? Well… let’s just watch the trailer.
It’s pretty common for an actor to do the physically handicapped thing (My Left Foot, Forest Gump, etc.), or mentally challenged thing (I Am Sam, Rain Man, Forest Gump, Tropic Thunder, etc. etc.), but this may be the first case of an actor, thanks to visual effects, and not in the pursuit of fantasy, doing the dwarf thing.
“Gary Oldman in the role of a lifetime.” Riiiight. Too bad the lifetime role never got theatrical distribution. What exactly made it the “role of a lifetime?” Was it just because, you know, he’s a bit smaller now? It’s so hard to play a guy who’s a few feet shorter than he usually is? What was he thinking!? What were any of them thinking? You’ve got Peter freaking Dinklage right there, people. The man can act. Why couldn’t he, an actual dwarf, have played the Oldman role in the first place? Why spend all that money to turn Gary Oldman into a Hobbit?
And let’s talk about this trailer for a second. A) Who did the voice over? Because it sounds almost exactly like the piss-take V.O. for that warm-and-fuzzy Shining trailer. B) Who wrote the line “When the going gets tough, it’s only the size of your heart that counts?” Because I’m going to be sick. C) Who thought that an argument about the difference between “dwarf” and “midget” would be funny? D) Who decided that in France they’d call this Tiny Tiptoes? (Did anyone in France actually go to see this?) And E) Why didn’t somebody involved look at what they had and think to call it a remake. Because it looks a lot like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, with dwarfs playing the black people.
Only in Hollywood would people make money to stamp this kind of stuff onto a few hundred thousand little shiny discs.
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Speechless.
Wow. Whenever I view a trailer that tells the entire story with all the plot points including the mediocre “best bits”, I run. As to the voice over, why does everyone think they can do Don LaFontaine who at the end of his career was mocking himself? This is a case of a bored writer watching too much cable TV who came up with a great pitch and then found him or herself desperately trying to make it work.
I hate the “whole story” trailers. Why do people do that? P.T. Barnum, people! Come on… kudos on the Don LaFontaine ref. I worked with him for some time at CBS back in the 90’s. I take it you saw those insurance commercials he did- Geiko, I think?
In response to another comment. See in context »And I’m sure the exec didn’t lose his job.
My favorite image was Matt McC in a yarmulke.
Yep, this was for a 2004 flick. And I imagine you’re right, Lewis. “Failing up” was, I think, invented in Hollywood. S/He probably went on to produce Terminator Salvation or something.